Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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In order to stem any alarm over numbers, Hot Springs County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Gordon recently explained what is happening with the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) percentages in the Wind River Mountains. The SWE is the amount of water contained in the snowpack. As of May 15, the SWE was 210 percent. On May 22, is was 304 percent, and on May 29 it was 410 percent. It is important to understand the climbing percentages does not reflect increasing snow depth or SWE amounts. Though...
Students from Ralph Witters Elementary and Risen Son Christian School found out a bit more about where dinner comes from during the Farm to Table day last Thursday. A joint effort between the school district, Farm Bureau and the Pioneer Association featured folks from the University of Wyoming Extension Service and local growers who gave students a deeper understanding of where their food comes from. Students from Thermopolis Middle School who raise animals brought pigs, sheep and cattle to the... Full story
Main Street Thermopolis is working on a few things for this summer, including a celebration for the downtown buildings slated to turn 100 this year. At their meeting last Thursday, the committee discussed getting the building inventory completed by July 1. The inventory will include current owners, size of the building and any history they can gather. Octobrewfest will be coming this fall, with a beer garden, vendors of all sorts and fun and games for the entire family. With so many buildings ce...
On the Record policy It is the Independent Record’s policy that all people arrested or cited under the “Accidents,” “Sheriff’s office” or “Police department” in the On the Record section are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Fire department Sunday, May 28 8:46 a.m. Department responded to a dumpster fire in the 800 block of Arapahoe. Sheriff’s office Tuesday, May 23 9:03 p.m. Deputy responded to Kirby, in regard to a vehicle repossession. Wednesday, May 24 9:52 a.m. The counseling center sent a request regarding a subje...
Thermopolis Middle School student, Kris Balstad, took first place in Wyoming Level 2 for grades seven and eight in the Letters About Literature contest for 2016-2017. Letters About Literature is a project of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. The Wyoming State Library conducted the state-level judging through its Wyoming Center for the Book program. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the...
Hot Springs County’s jobless rate dropped from March to April, going from 4.4% in March to 3.9% in April. Statewide, unemployment rates fell in all 23 counties, however, the labor force also fell in 13 counties, suggesting that some of the people who were unemployed actually left the state or dropped out of the labor force. Hot Springs County is one of those that lost people in their labor force, which affects the unemployment rate, possibly skewing the percentage numbers. Our labor force in M...
A new medical clinic is being opened in Thermopolis by general surgeon, Jeffery Butte, DO, from Worland. Butte performs surgeries in Worland at Washakie Medical Center and is a physician with Banner Health Clinic in Worland. Patients may see Butte for a number of issues, including hernias, gallbladder disease, spleen issues, thyroid concerns, gastro-esophageal reflux and some problems associated with veins. He is a board certified general surgeon. The new clinic is located at 443 Big Horn. To schedule appointments, please call...
One of the common sights at the annual Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo, this year scheduled for June 23 and 24, is the Wild Bunch. The original Wild Bunch members were the last of the old-time outlaws, a colorful group of bandits who spent time in and around Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin throughout the 1890s. Since Hot Springs County’s first known rodeo was held near the Big Spring in 1895, it’s very possible these desperados attended one of the early performances. In the early 1900s, the rodeo became very popular and in the 40s and 50s the Therm...
Well, we finally made it. Those few weeks where the temperatures are right in the “comfort zone,” and any moisture we get doesn’t come in flake form. It’s also a brief moment in the calendar when we get to stop complaining about the cold temperatures, before we switch gears and complain about the heat. Summer in this part of the world typically comes with at least a couple weeks’ worth of some mercury-rising days, but just because those high temperatures are no excuse to stay indoors when there’s plenty happening around town. Last weekend saw...
There is a lesson to be learned from the recent near-catastrophic failure of the Oroville Dam in California. That dam is of similar construction as our Boysen Dam. Extended heavy rains filled the reservoir behind the dam to the extent that the spillway was activated to prevent overflow and breaching of the dam. The spillway itself began to erode and fail. An emergency evacuation of 180,000 people below the dam was instituted because the dam was in danger of failing. I had an enlightening experience about rain potential in Colorado. A good frien...
Pageant Weekend is an annual event that happens the first full weekend in August, this year Aug. 5-6. It is centered around the Gift of the Waters Pageant, a play written by Marie Montabe in 1925 that celebrates the transfer of the Big Spring from the Native Americans to the United States government in 1896. Prior to that, Thermopolis was located about seven miles north of the present day town, near the confluence of Owl Creek and the Bighorn River. When the land became available to settlers, the town moved closer to the Big Spring, which at th...
by Rex Clothier In 2003 when when my bride and I decided that this piece of Wyoming would be a good place to retire, and we found a cute little place that seemed to be calling our names, and somehow, as fate would have it, circumstances worked amazingly well to allow us to enter into home ownership a couple of years before the magic date of leaving our jobs (teaching) for the idyllic life of retirement. We met the friendly older gentleman whose home bordered ours, and looked forward to becoming neighbors when we actually moved onto the property...
Frank L. Hughes Sr., 75, of Riverton died Feb. 4, 2017, at his home, after months of declining health. Frank was born June 19, 1941, in Gebo, Wyo., to Harold and Lillian (Morgareidge) Hughes. He was the youngest of 7 children. He attended school in Hot Springs County and continued to reside in Thermopolis until 1986, when he moved to New Mexico. He returned to Wyoming, making his home in Riverton. He worked many years in the oilfields, drilling and later consulting. He also drove truck, hauling... Full story
Corrie Lee Lovercheck, 82, passed away peacefully at the Thermopolis Rehabilitation & Care Center May 25, 2017. Born September 14, 1934, in Powell, Wyo., he was the oldest child of Corrie and Norma (Richards) Lovercheck. He grew up in Powell, Wyo., and graduated from Powell High School in 1953. He attended college from 1953-1957. He served in the U.S. Army from September 1958 to June 1961. He then attended the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, Ill., graduating in 1964. He practiced... Full story
Time to pull out the sticks and get ready for the Annual Rod Harris Memorial Golf Tournament, June 10 and 11 at the Thermopolis Golf Course. Play on Saturday begins at 1 p.m. with the alternate shot tournament, which is scheduled to finish around 5 p.m. You will want to stick around, though, because there will also be a tournament Calcutta and glow ball long drive contest. Play the slot machines, blackjack, poker and roulette into the night with prizes that include a $2,500 travel voucher or $1,500 in cash, a fishing package, Deadwood golf...
A brief downpour helped cool things down at the 2017 Hot City Summer Slam 3-on-3 basketball tournament this weekend. During the course of the event, bumping music and plenty of action on the courts kept things lively, and a number of vendors kept players and spectators fed, hydrated and entertained. Though 1994 was the first year for the tournament, this was the second year the event has been hosted by the Bobcat Boosters; the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce previously hosted it....
by Mark Dykes The Hot Springs County Recreation Department Adult Softball league started May 9 this year, and is currently in its fourth week. Recreation Director Brad Morrison noted there are a total of seven teams this year. Among the competing teams are One-Eyed Buffalo, Slide One In, Sons of Pitches, One Stop Sparkplugs, Risen Son, Robin Batsman and Merit’s Nicest Team Ever. Scores from this past week include: May 23 — One Stop Sparkplugs – 20, Slide One In – 5; Robins BatsMan – 7, Sons o... Full story
Friday at Thermopolis Middle School, eighth grade students received their certificates of completion, and students were recognized for their accomplishments during the year. Eighth graders receiving certificates are: Wyatt Barnett, Kalli Blandford, Oakley Bowman, Dominic Brown, Maggie Cable, KyAnn Calhoun, Patricia Capelle, Anna Chapman, Logan Cole, Jasmine Collins, Mya Conrad, Brianna DeVries, Owen Douglas, Remington Ferree, Sequoia Fishbaugh, Destiny Harris, Jaxson Jensen, Jazmen Jensen, Evan...
Students at Ralph Witters Elementary received a multitude of various awards last week. Please note this list is not complete, and reflects only those awards received by the Independent Record as of Tuesday afternoon. Most Improved Reading: Logann Farrell, Logan Stewart, Camden Weyer, Mercede Martinez and Ryan Dumas Most Improved Math: Rylee Simpson, Ryker Sayler, Davien Martinez, Korbin Brill and Jason Capelle Most Improved Writing: Mac McCumber, Chloee Owsley, Cruz Mascorro and Allyssa Simmons...
The 34th annual WYO Quarter Horse Spring Sale, May 20 at the fairgrounds, saw buyers from 21 states. The high seller was gelding WYO Navy Blue Nick, sired by ELS Scottish Nick and raised by Bill and Carole Smith. The horse went for $29,000, to a buy from Massachusetts. The sale also saw 47 geldings, which averaged $13,477. The top 10 averaged $20,300, and the top 20 averaged $17,725. Ten two-year-olds were also sold, averaging $5,333, as well as 14 yearlings averaging $2,842 and two...
This weekend saw 10 riders attend a Basic Rider Course (BRC), provided at the Wyoming Department of Transportation parking lot. TheBRC was developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and is designed for those who have little or no riding experience, although most experienced riders will also benefit from the course. It has approximately 20 hours of instruction, both in the classroom and on-cycle. Courses started on Friday evening, and continued until Sunday afternoon. Successful completion...
Tuesday evening, the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees approved sending out requests for proposals to five construction firms, in regard to the large renovation and expansion project. The firms selected are Sletten, Groathouse, Erdman, Sampson and Layton; Sletten and Groathouse are out of Cody, Sampson is out of Cheyenne, and Erdman and Layton are from out-of-state. Two additional firms — Dick Anderson of Sheridan and FCI of Cheyenne — were not chosen. The board also app...
This map of Thermopolis indicates the area of the current Bighorn River floodplain inside the red line (4340' elevation) and the potential 80-foot fill line in green (4400' elevation) above which is safe ground. For more information, see the opinion piece by Daniel Wychgram on page 4....
